In Retrospect
by michelle-lee92
Summary: Its been three months, and now a hurt, upset and lonely Freddie is in L.A to attend a college he had no part in picking. In Retrospect all he needed was a bit of closure... This is technically a crossover with Sam&Cat.
1. Chapter 1

EDIT: I blame myself for not properly researching this. My bad guys. But I have edited this chapter to change the University that Freddie is attending from Berkley to UCLA. My apologies.

It was a Sunday morning when his plane landed in LAX. It was a cloud covered, rainy, dismal day and he was in a horrible mood. In the past two months his life had changed drastically. Overcome by a disease which he could only describe as grief. The worst part was he wasn't even grieving the dead. Because in death at least there was some form of closure. But he was grieving the living. In particular two woman. The first woman was his best friend he knew and understood her like a sibling. He had let her go for unselfish reasons and although he grieved her loss he was at least satisfied that she wasn't really lost to him indefinitely. He would see her again. One day. The other half and admittedly larger part of his grief however was situated around another being, although this time he couldn't tell you if she were alive or dead. She had disappeared. She hadn't told him where she was going or when she would be back. She had just left. And thus the grieving, the depression and above all the loneliness took over.

He grabbed his bags from the turning belt at the baggage claim. They were heavy because they held his entire 17 years of existence within their cotton walls. Struggling to carry the weight he heaved himself out of the terminal to find a cab. His mother had insisted that his car, his prized possession, a 1969 Pontiac firebird trans am, couldn't and shouldn't make the journey and that he was best to buy a newer and more reliable car on his arrival in California. He supposed she was right in a sense that his car was very expensive and perhaps keeping it on college grounds was asking for trouble, but now he desperately longed for the fast pace, loud engine, the wind in his hair and the freedom to just for a second forget that life and reality continued around him and without him. And so he stood outside the terminal, hailing a cab, to take him to his accommodation for what he hoped wouldn't be the next 4 years of his life. He had decided to study physics. UCLA was famous for its mathematics courses and he had always enjoyed science and technology. It seemed, to him at least a win-win situation.

After 30 seconds of waving at the passing traffic, a yellow car stopped in front of him and a rather large middle-eastern man, with a large black curly beard and smelling strongly of hommus got out of the car to help him put his bags in the boot. 'Where you heading boy?' he was asked as he slid into the backseat of the cab. The man's voice was rough and husky, perhaps a heavy smoker he presumed, and his conclusions were confirmed as the driver pulled away from the curb and simultaneously lit a cigarette. 'UCLA University' he replied to the driver and then turned to the window to watch his new scenery pass him by. 'UCLA ay?' the driver asked again but he pretended he didn't hear and continued staring out the window. He heard the driver huff and mutter something about 'stupid kids' and 'no manners' but he didn't mind. The driver was right, he was in no mood for common courtesies.

It was safe to say that L.A was different than he expected. Though he had only ever visited the city once, it felt like a different lifetime that the trip had occurred and he hadn't seen much of the city that time either. He could imagine palm tree lined roads, girls on roller skates, he might have even expected to see a familiar face, even if it was a D grade celebrity. He had expected the sun to be shining and the beaches crowded but he had received a welcome of anything but. The sun wasn't shining, either a tribute to his mood or a memorial of the city he was leaving. The streets were crowded with what he could only describe as the common crowd, a heard of people bustling to their destinations. No one stood out. No one seemed inviting. Everyone seemed to be on their own personal mission. This was as far from home as he thought possible. Had it his way he would have never got on the stupid plane. But as it seems, it wasn't up to him, it was up to his mother. His mother, the overbearing type, had practically forced the move on him. 'UCLA is a good school' she said 'you'll like L.A' she said. 'It's not healthy for you here anymore' she said. And there it was. The truth. She was right, home wasn't healthy for him anymore, too many memories and missed opportunities to dwell on, they had him caught in his own world for the last 3 months. But summer was over and he was on his way to a school he hadn't wanted to go to, to meet people he most probably wouldn't like and to remember that this was supposed to be one of the best times of his life, not the loneliest.

They arrived at the university and he got out of the cab to grab his bags. 'How much?' he asked the driver. '$50' was the reply, and although he was positive he was being ripped off, he decided he probably deserved it and payed the man. Picking up his bags was a struggle but he managed and began to trudge towards the administration building, to register and receive his room assignment, he hopped to eventually get his own place in the city if only to avoid any if not all unessential human interaction. Reaching the admin block he entered, thanking no one in particular that there wasn't a line and approached the counter, his bags forgotten on the ground by his feet. Behind the counter was a middle aged woman with horn rimmed glasses and perm perfect curls. She wore a burgundy lipstick that matched her blouse and he presumed probably her shoes as well, although he couldn't see her feet. 'I'm here to check in' he stated. The woman who was typing very fast on the desktop computer barely glanced at him. 'Name?' she spoke in a monotone and he thought that maybe like him she would rather be anywhere but here as well. After giving her all his details he was given a key to a single room, which had been a condition of his attending the school in the first place. He was about to exit the building to find his room when another woman, this time roughly his age bent down and picked up one of his bags. She was shorter than him with big brown eyes and long red hair, a deep red which was obviously fake but suited her more than another colour he thought. She wore a UCLA jumper and pair of tight jeans. 'Hey' she said to him 'I'll take you to your room, show you around a bit?' she smiled at him. He reluctantly acknowledged her with a nod and followed her out of the room. He honestly had no idea where his room was and the map that the woman behind the counter had given him was looked as if a 3 year old had made it. If this girl could get him there faster than all the better for him. 'Not much of a talker are you?' she giggled but continued walking. And he continued following, not offering a response. They walked through a courtyard and he registered that she was talking to him about the area but he ignored her. He didn't want a grand tour he just wanted to get to his room. As they entered another building, which he presumed that his room was located in, he watched the girl walking in front of him, struggling slightly with one of his heavy bags. He began to grow curious at the girl's age. She couldn't be more than a year older than him, and he doubted even that. Weren't seniors the ones that usually showed freshman around? He thought. 'Do you go to school here?' he asked the girl. She stopped talking mid-sentence and turned to face him 'So he _can_ speak?' she giggled again. She had a very soft girly voice, almost childlike. He wasn't sure yet whether it bothered him or not but he decided it probably would. He didn't answer her and just waited for her to answer him, after a few seconds she must have got the message because she answered his question. 'No, I just help out in the office, kind of like a part time job. I live nearby. I actually run a babysitting business with my roommate' she smiled 'but a little extra money in our pockets is always good' she laughed at herself then and resumed her walk towards his room.

A few more minutes of lugging his bags up the hallway of the building later, she stopped at a door labelled _J17 Single. _He opened the door with his key and walked into the room that would make do as him home until he could get out of here. There was a single bed on one side of the room and a dresser on the opposite. A larger window on the far wall showed a view of one of the schools many gardens. There was also a small bathroom to the right immediately after walking in. it was small and quiet. It was as he felt. 'Well this is cosy' he heard the girl say behind him. He turned to see she had let herself in and was now sitting on his bed looking around his room. Placing his bags on the ground he walked towards a small desk he hadn't realised was in the room before along the protruding wall of the bathroom. Sitting in the chair he look at her with a sour expression. 'What did you say your name was again?' he asked her. 'I didn't' she simply replied with a smile. He grew irritated with the silence and was about to say something awful and rude most probably but was stopped when she burst out laughing. 'You really are grumpy' she smiled 'You should lighten up a bit, you can't make friends with a frown' she said. He snorted at her comment 'I'm hardly in the mood for company so that won't be a problem.' He had intended to scare her off with that comment but she continued to smile at him. 'Well, its Caterina but everyone calls me Cat' she said. The smile was starting to really irk him. In his mood happy people just made him angrier. Didn't they realise how fragile happiness was? It never lasted. 'And your name?' she asked. Instead of answering her he glanced at his watch. 'It's getting late' he prompted in hopes that she would leave. 'I need to unpack' he watched as her smile faulted for a split second before it was back in full force. She reached into her back pocket and produced a business card. 'I'll tell you what' she said standing up and passing him the card. 'If you want to hang out or something, give me a call. My roommate and I are always doing something and we like new people. Plus you're a bit odd. And I'm pretty sure she's into that.' She raised her eyebrow at him suggestively and he had to fight the urge to be sick at the thought of it. 'You can't go 4 years without someone to talk to Mr Grumpy. You'll go insane' she sounded serious but the smile never wavered. It was extremely irritating. And with that she let herself out of the room and she was gone. He breathed a sigh of relief. He glanced down at the card in his hand. 'Sam and Cat's Super Rockin' Fun-Time Babysitting Service.' He felt sick. His stomach dropped. Now he knew. The world was mocking him. He shook his head, threw the card in the bin and organized himself to have a long shower. If today was anything to go by he already knew he wouldn't like this school.

Authors Note: Okay guys first things first, I know this is technically a cross over but I figured if I posted here I might get a bit more feedback. Secondly, I refuse to wright Cat as stupid. Simply because she isn't. Not in my head anyway. I think she is care free, and innocent but I defiantly don't think she is irritably stupid as some people like to project her. And so she will not be portrayed that way in this story. And thirdly, I know our main man is a bit depressing in this chapter and unlike the quirky guy were used to, but come on, Carly left and then Sam leaves as well, he has no idea where she is and hasn't had contact with her within the last 3 months. That's pretty depressing. I feel like Freddie would revert to the quiet nerdy kid that he was before iCarly happened, before he came out of his shell but now there is an added touch of broody angst. And lastly, the Firebird is my all-time favourite old school car and I like the idea of Freddie owning a badass car, even if his mummy holds the keys. So let me know what you think. If you guys like then I'll continue. I have the next chapter written, just going through editing. This story should only last about 10 chapters anyway. Please Review. I'm open to all advice.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: WOW! 5 reviews already. You guys are awesome. I know I'm posting this like within 24 hours of the last one but I thought you all deserved it so enjoy

Life at college had settled into a routine for Freddie by the end of the second week. He would wake up, shower and brush his teeth, eat breakfast and look over his notes for the days classes. Then he would attend classes. At some point after that he would have lunch before attending more classes and by 2 o'clock in the afternoon he would retire to his room to study and/or relax before finding dinner and going to bed. On the weekends he would study more. On his second Sunday at UCLA he thought he would study in the garden outside his room. It was a nice day but it turned out he wasn't the only one that thought so. He couldn't concentrate and so he had given up quickly and returned to his room again. Pathetic, that was how he saw himself but his heart just wasn't in it. He couldn't get the grief of his mind. Why did she leave? Why didn't she give him an explanation? Why didn't she try and contact him? He was obsessed. Always thinking about the betrayal he felt. The last time he had seen her they had just said goodbye to Carly. She had run up to the studio to tell him that she was the owner of her very own motorbike. He could remember it like it was yesterday, how happy she was. Hoe he had congratulated her. They hadn't hugged though, there was too much awkwardness between them. He didn't know why then but he presumed now that it was because even then she knew she was going to leave. Even then standing right in front of him, she knew. And she didn't say anything. The next morning he had been informed by Spencer that she had left. To a 'relatives, I don't know where, she didn't say' he had told him. He had tried to call her multiple times but she never replied. He had thought to track her phone but he didn't know her password. He was at a loss, in more ways than one. The slump he fell into then seemed still even now impossible to drag himself out of.

It was the Tuesday morning of his third week in college, the only day in which he had no morning classes, and he had decided to brave the garden again. There were considerably less people out there this time and so he sat at a picnic table with his computer and began his research on the Doppler Effect. He sat for a while, enjoying the calm of the garden and the warmth of the sun. It was then that he heard her. The annoying childlike voice. He heard her before he saw her. Not wanting to leave his spot he ducked his head down to his computer and began focusing on nothing else but his work in hopes that she wouldn't see him. Even though he had only met her once he had the feeling that given the chance she would approach him again. He could hear her laughing at something and a quick glance in her direction as she came into the garden showed him that she was on the phone to someone. He went back to his work with earnest, unfortunately however, she was very distracting and so in silent rage he just continued to stare at his computer. As he wasn't really focusing on anything though he found it easy to hear her conversation. She had stopped by a bush and was toying with the flowers as she spoke. 'Just be careful, if you keep an eye on him I'm sure nothing that bad will happen….. Yes I remember what happened last time, don't let him move until she gets there….' She was laughing again at something that was said. 'I finish in half an hour….' She sighed 'fine but you still owe me from the last time we had Tubba Chicken for dinner.' Again she was laughing 'of course you will… are you still going to pick me up? ... okay I'll see you then, bye' and she hung up the phone. He didn't know what she was doing then as he refused to lift his head. He was silently praying she would leave but when he felt someone sit at the table opposite him he decided it was wishful thinking.

'Hey Mr Grumpy' she said. He grunted in acknowledgement but didn't raise his head to look at her.

"_Waves emitted by a moving object as received by an observer will be blue shifted (compressed) if approaching, redshifted (elongated) if receding. It occurs both in sound as well as electromagnetic phenomena."_

He was running that single statement through his head over and over but it wasn't really sinking. He wouldn't remember it tomorrow, and that angered him. After 15 minutes he glanced up at her to find she was still sitting there just watching him. 'Don't you have somewhere you need to be?' he asked her in a cold tone.

If she noticed she didn't show it. 'Not at the moment, I finished my work early today, so I'm taking a long lunch.'

He arched his eyebrow at her and without thinking retaliated 'who takes lunch half an hour before they finish work?' he paused after speaking, realising that he had just admitted to listening to her conversation. A frown quickly spread across his face as a large smile etched its way onto hers.

'Were you listening to me on the phone?' she asked.

'It was kind of hard not to overhear, your pretty loud' he replied but kept his head down looking at his work.

'Maybe you're just too quiet' she replied.

He ignored her regretting that he had even asked in the first place. The following and precious silence lasted approximately 90 seconds before she spoke again.

'You never called me?'

This caught his attention. Was she serious? 'Did you honestly expect me to?' he asked her, now full of intrigue.

She shook her head lightly 'No, but I hoped you would' she paused for a moment 'you looked upset, I thought maybe you would want to take your mind of whatever was bothering you. I was trying to be your friend Mr Grumpy.' She watched him for a response.

'Why do you keep calling me that?' he asked. Only to be laughed at.

'What do you want me to call you, you never told me your name' she giggled and continued 'not that it matters now, I'll just keep calling you Mr Grumpy' she continued giggling. It was highly annoying.

'Whatever' was his reply 'I have work to do so if you don't mind, I'd like my privacy' He put his head back to the computer. He felt her stand up and come around to his side of the table. She placed another one of her business cards in front of him.

'I'm going to a party on Venice beach with some friends from my high school on Saturday. It'll be fun, you should come. Just a casual bon fire on the beach. And if it gets too sociably horrible for you, then you can go and I promise I won't bother you again.'

He glanced down at the card. 'And if I don't go?' he asked

'Then ill bother you every time I see you Mr Grumpy' she giggled again at herself. If she laughed every time she said that he was going to go insane.

'Whatever' he replied and continued to stare at his computer.

A light buzzing came from her back pocket and she pulled out her phone, and answered it. 'Hey Sam' she answered the call.' His whole body stiffened, he was glad at least that she didn't notice but continued talking to who he now knew as her 'room-mate'

'You're on your way?... alright great I'll be out in a minute I just have to get my helmet from my desk.' And she hung up. 'Alright Grumpy I'll see you Saturday at 8' she smiled and walked off. If he wasn't already so frustrated with the girl he might have noticed that she was retrieving a helmet to go home with. And you didn't need a helmet if you drove a car.

…...

'Do I have to go to this beach thing?' Sam wined. She was spread out on the couch with a pizza box and half a pizza resting on her stomach, her right hand stretched out with the remote flicking through the channels on the television.

'Of course you do' smiled Cat and then paused as her smile turned to a frown 'I thought you liked my friends?'

'They're alright, I just don't know if I'm in the mood to party' Sam replied, she sat up on the couch so she could see Cat better, who was sitting at the kitchen bench drinking a fruit smoothie. 'But Mr Grumpy is going' she giggled at the name.

'I don't even know who that is' Sam said with a groan, putting her pizza on the coffee table she got up to go search the fridge for a drink. 'He's that guy from college I was telling you about, the really grumpy one. That's why I call him Mr Grumpy' Cat replied giggling again.

'What's his real name?' she asked.

'I don't know' said Cat with a shrug 'He never told me'

'So let me get this straight, you invited a guy you don't know, you don't even know his name or anything about him AT ALL to a party?'

Cat just smiled 'yep, he looked like he could do with some fun'

Sam groaned again and threw her arms up in the air 'Argggh now I have to come, what if he turns out to be a creep, you're gonna need mama there to take care of you'

'Yay' Cat jumped up and ran to the room 'What am I going to wear?' her girly voice drifted down the hallway. She just shook her head and let out a soft and unenthusiastic 'yeah' before following Cat into their bedroom.

…...

He wasn't going to go. He had decided and changed his mind again 4 times now. He didn't need to show up on a random beach filled with people he didn't know and try to play Mr Popular. He wasn't Mr Popular. He was Mr Nub.

But then, why shouldn't he go. Admittedly the loneliness was really getting to him now. At home he had interaction with his mother and occasionally Spencer and Gibby. And after three full weeks of speaking to no one but Cat, a part of him wanted to go and meet new people. Perhaps making new friends might help fill the void she left. So he would go. It was decided.

But then what if he didn't get along with them, what if they just reminded him too painfully of what he was missing. He couldn't stand that. And so he wasn't going to go.

But what's life without risks. He used to take risks all the time. Maybe he should start again. So he was going. Final decision made he walked out his door before he had a chance to change his mind again.

He walked into the student car park and unlocked his brand new (to him at least) Ford Explorer. A big bulky car, nothing like his Pontiac, but it did the job. He looked at the time. 8:35. I guess you could call that fashionably late he thought to himself as he turned the car on and began the 20 minute drive to Venice (AN: I presume it's a 20 minute drive. I actually have no idea I'm going off Google maps, which is rarely reliable to be honest) beach.

When he arrived at the beach he could see the bonfire and the crowd of people around it. Straining his eyes he tried to spot Cat. He finally saw her talking to a guy with shoulder length dark hair they were standing a bit away from the rest of the group so he took that as his opportunity to approach her. He got out of his car and started walking towards her, turning slightly to aim his key at the car and trigger the central locking. Shoving the keys back in his pocket he continued walking. He got about half way before she spotted him, and smiling brightly dragged the guy she was with towards him.

'You came' she said in an overly happy tune and he immediately regretted coming. 'This is Beck' she continued not letting him say anything. 'Beck this is Mr Grumpy' she giggled. Beck raised an eyebrow at Freddie and he visibly cringed. Stretching his hand out to Beck he introduced himself 'it's Freddie' he said. He was glad that Beck smiled and shook his hand, he didn't particularly look like someone he wanted to piss off. 'Nice to meet you Freddie, how do you know Cat?'

'She stalks me at school' Freddie replied and he didn't show it but he enjoyed watching her squirm after his comment. Beck look back at Cat and laughed.

'UCLA?' Beck turned back to Freddie and asked.

Freddie nodded, 'Physics' he replied.

'You're brave' replied Beck. Freddie shrugged his shoulders. He knew he was smart but he didn't feel like discussing it.

Just then Cat piped up 'Well, let's go over to everyone and introduce _Freddie'_ she looked at him smiling as she said his name and he sighed 'to everyone else.'

As they were walking over Beck continued to question him. 'So Freddie, where you from?' he asked.

'Seattle' Freddie replied.

'Ah Seattle, you might know…' but Beck didn't get to finish his sentence because Freddie finished it for him. There she was sitting by the fire roasting a marshmallow and talking to a girl with long wavy black hair and green streaks. 'Sam' he said. At that moment she looked up at him and the world stopped. He was frozen and so was she. A small part of his brain registered that the entire party had now stopped to watch the interaction between the two people that obviously knew each other. He watched as Sam glanced between him and Cat before standing up. She pointed at him and with a smirk said 'you're Mr Grumpy?' it was the smirk that did it. That infamous smirk that graced his presence through most of his childhood. The smirk he had been pinning over for the last three months. All that smirk did now was make him furious. He didn't care that he didn't know these people or that he would be creating a scene. He didn't care. He just let it out. All his frustration, his anger and his loneliness.

'ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?' he yelled at her. Everyone who wasn't already frozen with intrigue was frozen now out of shock. She was silent, but she slumped her shoulders a little in acceptance of the onslaught she knew was coming. 'THREE MONTHS, WITHOUT A WORD, AND THEN YOU SHOW UP ON A RANDOM FREAKING BEACH, IN BLOODY CALIFORNIA FOR GODS SAKE. I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW IF YOU WERE ALIVE. WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!' he stopped to take a breath.

The girl that was previously sitting next to Sam was the first to recover, she began to speak but Sam cut her off. 'It's alright Jade, I kinda deserved it' than she looked back at him. 'Listen Freddie, can we go for a walk or something? I bet there's more where that came from and I'd rather not do this in front of everyone' before he could answer though another boy piped up 'But this is entertaining' followed by a chorus of 'shut up Andre.'

Freddie nodded and followed her down the beach. As they were walking off they could hear the same boy continue 'So… I think they might know each other.'

They walked for about 10 minutes, so that they were far enough away from the others that they wouldn't be able to hear them even if he did start yelling again. They had been silent until Sam stopped and turned to him. 'UCLA huh? She asked him 'I hear it's a pretty good school' he was in no mood for small talk though.

'Three months Sam' he replied, he was much calmer now but the hurt in voice was clear. 'Do you have any idea what I went through? I'd already lost Carly, I didn't want to lose you. You didn't even say good bye. I didn't know where you were. You didn't answer any of my calls. Why?' There was silence.

'I don't know okay' she said finally 'I panicked, Carly was gone and it was already super awkward between us, and then I found out that you and Carly kissed and I don't know I just couldn't be there anymore. I figured it was time for me to move on so I did alright.' She started pacing, he could tell she was frustrated.

'How did you know Carly and I kissed?' he asked her, but he was sure he already knew the answer.

'She's my best friend Freddie, she told me.' She sighed.

'What does it matter that Carly and I kissed?' she looked at him with semi wide eyes, if he searched he might have been able to see hurt in them. But he continued on anyway 'We broke up Sam, it was your idea.'

'It was mutual' she said in a soft voice.

'Crap it was mutual, you were the one who said we didn't click "that way" and that still doesn't mean you can just leave the state and not tell me where you are. I was so worried about you. I missed you. I...' he trailed off '…I was lonely' he said in a soft mumble.

'You were lonely?' scoffed Sam 'Well boo hoo, Fredward Benson was lonely, you're an asshole Freddie. You spent three months thinking about yourself and how this affected you. Did you even once think of _why _I left? Because it's your fault. And instead of crying about it for three months you should have done something about it.'

'How was I supposed to do something about it, I didn't know where you were!' he was starting to get really frustrated with her.

'Freddie I sent you a freaking postcard when I got here. I know didn't write anything on it but it had a L.A postal address on it for Christ's sake, I thought that being 'Mr Genius' you would have figured it out.'

'Sam I never got a post card from you' confusion was setting in now.

'Well I sent one, not like it matters now though.' She walked past him down to the shore, slipping off her shoes she put her feet in the water and sighed, looking out towards the moon. He shook of his shoes as well and followed her into the waves. Standing next to her he could hear her breathing. And for the first time in three months he felt happy, frustrated and confused, but happy. The fact that he was standing next to her, he could hear her breathing, it was amazing, he had missed it more then he knew. He turned to look at her. She had he eyes closed.

'Why did you really leave me?' the slightly different question must have caught her off guard because she opened her eyes and turned to him. She took a moment to stare at him before sighing. 'Because, nub, I was still in love with you, and I was confused and I don't know, hurt I guess. I just needed a break you know?' she said.

'Do you still love me now?' he asked.

It was a bold question but she answered with a simple 'I don't know anymore' shrugging her shoulders. She then turned and picked up her shoes before walking back towards the fire and her friends. It took a moment for him to register what had just happened before he grabbed his shoes as well and chased after her.

'Sam!' he called out to her, they were close enough now for the others to hear, he could see Cat watching them closely. Sam turned around and faced him, waiting for him to say something. 'Where do we go from here?' he asked.

'I don't know Freddie…just… give me some time' she said almost like she was pleading with him.

'And if you run off again?' he said a trace of serious fear in his tone.

She shrugged her shoulders and smirked at him. 'I'll send you a post card' and with that she continued walking. Once she reached Cat she announced she was leaving, picked up her helmet and walked towards the car park.

He was frozen watching her walk away from him again. This time however he prayed it wouldn't last long. Once Sam was out of ear shot from the group he continued walking up to them and they all turned to look at him.

'Well this is an interesting turn of events' smiled Andre the boy from before. 'Freddie, is it?' he asked looking towards Freddie expectantly. He looked at the boy and nodded. So Andre continued 'How do you know each other?'

'Um… we… grew up together' muttered Freddie. 'She was one of my best friends before she decided to disappear on me three months ago.' Everyone was silent in acknowledgment until Cat let out a gasp and covered her mouth. Everyone turned to her see what was wrong but she was staring at Freddie. 'It's you!' she said 'Your Freddie' she continued. Everyone just stared at her.

'And here I was thinking we had already established that' said Andre.

'No,' said Cat shaking her head. 'You don't understand,' she said looking at Andre. 'She's in love with him.' Silence enveloped the entire group. Freddie shook his head 'Maybe once' he said 'but it's a little more complicated than that. Sam has trust issues, it's… a touchy subject for her. And when she left, everything was kind of up in the air. I don't really know where we stand now.' He sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

'So hold on' said Andre 'you were on with Sam?' he asked.

'We broke up a while ago,' he answered 'I was under the impression it was her idea, but then it got awkward and we kind of just reverted back to being frenemies for a while' he was interrupted by Andre again. 'Frenemies?'

'I don't know if any of you have noticed but Sam can be a bit abrasive,' he was meant with nods and acknowledgments all round. 'It's a bit of a front really, like I said she doesn't trust easily, you know, disappoint them at the start and then your covered. We used to fight a lot. And then when our friend Carly left for Italy, I dunno she just decided that she'd had enough I guess. She left. I had no idea where she was or how to find her. She just disappeared. Tonight was the first time I've seen her in over three months. Before today I couldn't have even told you if she was alive or not.' There was silence when he finished talking. After a minute he sighed. 'I'm gonna head off.' He looked towards Cat 'I guess I'll see you at school?' he asked and she nodded before walking up to him and giving him a light hug. He barely knew Cat but in the time he had spent with her he had gathered that she was a very open and friendly person. Whispering in his ear she said 'She'll come round, and if she doesn't I'll send you her number.' She pulled back and winked at him. He smiled softly, waving lightly to the rest of the people at the gathering before he started to walk back towards his car.

He drove back to the college, parked the car, walked to his room and let himself in, all in a trance. He was still processing what had happened. He had found her. And although they weren't perfect yet he was going to do his best to fix it. He could already start to feel the hole in his chest getting smaller. He laid down in bed and started to drift off to sleep with a smile on his face. He was glad that he decided to go to the beach after all.

…...

A/N: Well there's chapter 2. They've met again, but not on the best terms. Will Sam come around? Of course she will, we all know that. When will she come round is the real question I think. As always let me know what you guys think by leaving a review. Peace.


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